Stilt



United States Patent O M' STILT Ralph D. Whitney, Minneapolis, Minn.Application May 14, 1953, Serial No. 355,079

3 Claims. (Cl. 272-70.1)

My invention relates to improvements in stilts and has for an objectthereof to provide a simple, durable and relatively inexpensive stiltconsisting of a plain stai or pole and a step adapted to be readilyapplied to the sta and xed thereto rigidly in selected positions ofadjustment therealong with the use of ordinary household tools in thehands of a novice.

Featuring my invention, the stilt step includes a stepplate having aninner edge portion adapted to abut edgewise against the inner side ofthe stilt staff lengthwise of the same forming a junction betweenstep-plate and staff. This stati-abutting edge portion of the step-plateis of a lesser thickness than the thickness of the staif, therebyresulting in the formation of a bight or recess at least at one side ofthe junction between step-plate and staif. A strap of sheet metalgenerally of U-shaped formation, has a return bend or loop joining theleg members thereof. Said leg members overlap the sides of thestep-plate and are secured at their outer ends to the outer end of saidstep-plate. The return bend or loop in said strap receives the statiembracing the same at its outer side. The bight or recess at the oneside of said junction between step-plate and stati, or the bights atopposite sides of said junction, as the case may be, is or are bridgedby portions of its or their respective leg members of the strap. Clampbolts extending through the bight-bridging portions of the leg member orleg members of said strap act to draw said portions of the one or bothlegs of the strap into its bight or into their respective bightstensioning the strap and oppositely clamping its return bend or loop andthe inner edge of the step-plate against the inner and outer sides7respectively, of the staif or pole.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention reside in the novelcombination and arrangement of parts and in the details of constructionhereinafter illustrated and/ or described.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a stilt constructed inembodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view in detail of the stilt-step shownin Figs. 1 and 2, said sectional view being taken as on the line 3-3 ofFig. l.

The illustrated stilt structure includes a stati or pole and a step A.The staff 10 consists of a plain cylindrical pole of wood withoutmachining other than that lending shape and smoothness thereto.

The step A consists of an assembly including an elongated step-plate 11of wood, a strap 12 of sheet metal, a fastening bolt 13, and clamp bolts14.

The strap 12 is bent to provide a return bend or loop 15 intermediatelythereof thus to lend to said strap a generally U-shaped formation. Theleg members 16 of said U-shaped strap l2 straddle the step-plate 11 fromits inner edge overlapping the opposite sides of said stepplate. Theseleg members 16 are secured at their outer ends to said step-plate 11 bymeans of the fastening bolt 13 which extends through said leg members 16and stepj the junction 20, each of these bights or recesses bridged bythe inner portion 16L 2,709,590 Patented May 31, 1955 plate 11 midwidthof each thereof. The Width of the step-plate 11 being greater than thewidth of the leg members 16 of the strap 12, the longitudinal edges 17of said step-plate 11 are clear of said leg members so that either ofsaid edges 17, which in uppermost position constitutes the tread surfaceof the step A, will accommodate the foot of a user without contact withsaid leg members.

The illustrated step-plate 11 is beveled transversely thereof along bothsides of its inner end portion, as at 18, leaving a relatively narrowinner edge 19. The return bend or loop 15 in the strap 12 is outwardlyoffset from said inner edge 19 of said step-plate 11 and it receives thestanc 10 with said inner edge 19 of said step-plate 11 abutting theinner side of said stati: 10 longitudinally thereof, thereby providing ajunction 20 between stai 10 and step-plate 11.

Said beveled inner edge portion of the step-plate 11 is of lesserthickness than the diameter or thickness of the staff 10 with the resultthat a bight or recess 21 is formed between the step-plate 11 and stai10 at either side of 21 being of its respective leg member 16 of thestrap 12.

Upper and lower clamp bolts 14 are applied to said bight-bridgingportions 16a of the leg members 16 of said strap 12, said portions 16aof said leg members having for each clamp bolt 14 a pair of axiallyaligned holes 22 therein for the reception of the bolt. Each clamp bolt14 has a slotted head 23 and a washer 24 interposed between it and oneof said bight-bridging portions 16a of the strap 16 and each clamp bolt14 also has a nut 25 thereon and a washer 26 interposed between it andthe other of said bight-bridging portions 16al of the strap 12. Upperand lower slots 27 in the inner end portion of the step-plate 11accommodate the medial portions of the upper and lower clamp bolts 14,respectively.

When the clamp bolts 14 are untightened, either end of the return bendor loop 15 in the strap 12 will receive the stai 10, either endforemost. With the staff 1i) threaded into said return bend or loop 15,the step A may be shifted along the stai into any position thereonaccording to the desired height of the step A from the base of saidstaif. Having positioned the step A on the staff 10, the clamp bolts 14are tightened by turning the nuts 25 to advance them toward the heads 23of the bolts. As said clamp bolts 14 are tightened the bight-bridgingportions 16a of the leg members 16 of the strap 12 are drawn into theirrespective bights 21. This tensions the strap 12 between the fasteningbolt 13 and staff 10, oppositely clamping the return bend or loop 15 ofthe strap 12 and the inner edge 19 of the step-plate 11 against theouter and inner sides, respectively, of said staff 10.

The return bend or loop 15 of the strap 12 is formed circumferentiallythereof with upper and lower instruck beads 28 which are disposed,respectively, substantially in planes coinciding with the upper andlower clamp bolts 14. These beads 2S bite into the stai 10, when theclamp bolts 14 are tightened, and augment the clamping of the returnbend 1S proper about the stai'` 10 in keeping the step A from slidingalong or turning about the stal 10.

Changes in the speciiic form of the invention, as herein described, maybe made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from thespirit of the invention.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to beprotected by Letters Patent is:

l. In a stilt, a staif, a step extending outwardly from said staibetween the ends thereof, said step including a step-plate having aninner edge portion edgewise abutting the inner side of said stattlongitudinally thereof forming a junction between the step-plate andstaff, said edge portion of said step-plate being beveled along bothsides thereof, said beveled edge portion of said step-plate and saidstati forming bights, one at either side of said junction, a generallyU-shaped strap of sheet metal having an intermediate return bend thereinembracing the staff about the outer side thereof and having leg membersoverlying opposite sidcsof said step-plate, each leg meinber having aportion thereof bridging the bight at its respective side of saidjunction, fastening means securing said leg members at their outer endsto said step-plate, upper and lower clamp bolts extending through thebightf bridging portions of said leg members of said strap and throughsaid inner edge portion of said step-plate, said clamp bolts acting todraw said bight-bridging portions of said leg members into theirrespective bights and to tension the strap between said step-plate andstaff oppositely clamping the return bend of said strap and the inneredge of said step-plate against the outer and inner sides, respectively,of said staff.

2. A stilt, according to claim l, wherein the return bend of the strapis formed with upper and lower circumferential instruck beads adapted tobite into said staff under the tensioning of said strap by said clampbolts, said upper and lower beads being disposed, respectively,substantially in planes intersecting the axes of said upper andlowerclamp bolts.

3. ln a stilt, a staff, a step extending outwardly .from said staffbetween the ends thereof, said step including a stepeplate having aninner edge portion edgewise abutting the inner side of said stafflongitudinally thereof forming a junction between said step-plate andstaff, said edge portion of said vstep-plate being of a lesser thickness`than the thickness of said staff, said edge portion of said stepplateand said staff forming a bight at one side of the junction therebetween,a generally U-shaped strap having an intermediate return bend thereinembracing the staff about the outer side thereof and having leg membersoverlying the opposite sides of said step-plate, one of said leg membershaving a portion thereof bridging said bight, fastening means securingsaid leg members at their outer ends to said step-plate, vclamp meanscoacting with said leg members at the locality of said bight, said clampmeans acting to draw said bight-bridging portion of the said one legmember into said bigbt and to tension the strap between said step-plateand staff oppositely clamping the return bend of said strap and theinner edge of said step-plate against the outer and inner sides,respectively, of said staff.

References Cited in the 'file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS118,861 Kimberly Sept. l2, 1871 y404,806 Temple June 4, 1889 464,669Campbell Dec. 8, 1891 y540,397 Loveland e June 4, 1895 1,276,501 DouglasAug. 20, 1918

